1/7/09 Confirmation Hearing & Rewriting the Farm Bill

Confirmation Hearing & Rewriting the Farm Bill plus Food Forethought. I'm Greg Martin with today's Northwest Report. The Chairman of the Senate Ag Committee says his committee will conduct a hearing to review the nomination of former Governor Tom Vilsack to be the next Secretary of Agriculture. Tom Harkin says the confirmation hearing will be held next Wednesday, January 14th. This hearing falls in the middle of other key hearings of interest to agriculture. Tom Daschle is first up this Thursday to be Secretary of Health and Human Services. Then, next Tuesday the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will review Energy Secretary-designate Steven Chu. That same committee will hear from Interior Secretary-designate Ken Salazar next Thursday. It's no secret that a lot of people are not happy with the newest Farm Bill but is that reason to send it back for a rewrite? Some think so, while others are taking a wait and see attitude. Ag Department Chief Economist Joe Glauber. GLAUBER: The question is what will emerge out of the new administration in terms of the budget and whether there will be particular savings that will be targeted for agricultural programs and that's anyone's guess. Now with today's Food Forethought, here's Lacy Gray. Growing up in the 50's in rural America we didn't wear seatbelts, couldn't imagine a telephone you carried in a pocket, and sadly, it was considered cool to smoke. It's now unlawful to not use seatbelts, and you can be ticketed for using a handheld cell phone while driving in most states. State governments now want to add smoking in the car while children are present to the list of secondary ticket able offenses; four states already have such a law in effect. I myself am not a smoker and have fumed about people I see smoking in cars while there are child passengers, but - I have to ask myself where this trend of creating laws to govern the population's conscious or lack there of is leading us. If we justify law making on the basis of "what's good for people", the sky will be the limit. Will the next step be to outlaw listening to music while operating a vehicle or farm machinery? In all of this the obvious question remains; since smoking and second hand smoke has been proven to cause cancer and heart disease, why then the "salad bar" mentality of law making; smoking is a health risk only in certain public places, now possibly cars, and only in certain states? Hmmm&. Thanks Lacy. That's today's Northwest Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.